10 Tips to Attract Quality Talent

Posted: 29/02/2016 by
Cox Purtell

object(WP_Post)#9417 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(8892)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "5"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2016-02-29 15:03:12"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2016-02-29 05:03:12"
["post_content"]=>
string(7342) "Talented candidates are in great demand and your competitors are wooing and seducing them right throughout the interview process.....But are you?
Over the years, as a Professional Recruiter I have had the good fortune of working with some of the best organisations to implement clear and structured recruitment strategies, these strategies have helped them attract, on-board and retain some of the best talent the marketplace has to offer.
Unfortunately during that same time period I have also observed some of the worst recruitment strategies which have had the opposite effect, often damaging an employer brand and leaving great candidates feeling frustrated and annoyed.
If you are working with a Recruitment Partner, Internal or External here are my top ten tips for attracting and securing the best available talent:
1. Be Clear
You need a clear and have a well thought out recruitment plan. Agree on who the main stakeholders are and who the position owner is.
The decision to hire should come down to the position owner, recruiting by committee is ‘hit and miss’ because different people prioritise different things, this can drag out the process exponentially.
2. Sell the Opportunity
Discuss and agree on how you will sell the benefits of this position and how you will describe the challenges it faces.
Having disgruntled employers trying to sell the benefits of a position is a flawed exercise; equally not being open about the challenges a new position faces will lead to problems down the line.
3. Look Internally FIRST
Ensure the position is signed off, develop a clear position description with a list of essential and non-essential skills and then search internally.
11th hour internal candidates who only meet 60% of the requirement but are a known entity (and are free) may seem attractive but the damage caused by tyre kicking through a recruitment process can be avoided by looking internally first.
4. Commit to a Process
Once you have developed a recruitment plan have your internal team commit to it! Working backwards from the time you need your new employee on board.
Ensure all of the key stakeholders will be available for interviews and pencil time-slots into their diaries if necessary. HR need to be involved right through the process and will need notice to prepare offer letters and contracts.
You will need to allocate time to brief your internal/external recruitment partners, review CV's and interview candidates who match the position description.
5. Agree Terms
If using a recruiter, brief them in person on the role and give them an opportunity to see your environment, location and ‘style’ so they can sell that for you.
Additionally, agree fees and salary budgets upfront. This is quite possibly the biggest single disrupter and cause of lost opportunity in the whole process.
6. Prepare
Be prepared, turn up to an interview with a structure in place and a set list of questions which address the key skills required, the behaviours you wish to see displayed and the alignment of values and ethics that you want within your team.
Candidates can tell when you have not taken the time to review their resumes, more importantly candidates feel particularly frustrated when put on the spot about a technology or skill that they clearly do not possess and which was not mentioned in the position description.
7. Avoid Direct Salary Discussions
I would advise against discussing salaries directly with candidates during an interview. This information should have been provided to you by your recruitment partner.
Generally candidates not skilled negotiators, when asked by their potential future manager what salary they are seeking there is a tendency to disclose a lower amount than they actually want for fear of pricing themselves out. Unfortunately, upon leaving the interview many candidates go back to the actual figure they originally wanted and the whole process can derail.
8. Don't Low Ball Offer!
If your recruitment partners are at all competent, they should be able to detail your preferred candidate’s current remuneration breakdown and their salary expectations. These should be in line with your agreed budget for this position.
If you believe through the interview process that a candidate has expectations which are too high, inform your recruitment partners immediately so they can manage expectations on your behalf.
9. Beat your Competitors
Once a hiring decision is made, provide feedback, request reference checks, psych tests and any other information required ASAP. Ask HR to follow up with an offer letter immediately.
Delays with verbal offers and offer letters at such a crucial time send a very subtle but clear message to your chosen recruit which is "we are not sure we want you, we are considering other options, you might want to continue your job search". Not only will the candidate take your implied advice but they will take the very next offer that comes along and you could find yourself right back at square one.
10. Plan for On-Boarding
Just before you celebrate and pop the cork on that vintage bottle of bubbles, there is one more box to tick for those using an external recruitment partner. This box is particularly important and provides a clear indication of their commitment to your success and to that of the person they have placed with you.
POST PLACEMENT COMMITMENT! I’m not talking about a quick 5 minute phone call on day one or a coffee at the end of the first four weeks, I am describing a programme built specifically to help with the on-boarding of your new staff member and which lasts well into their probation period and beyond. Recruitment does not end when you hire a new employee and your recruitment partner should in-part be held accountable for assisting with the transition from candidate to employee.
I believe that the role of the hiring manager post GFC has intensified; there is a sharper focus on budgeting and staffing costs and the implications of making poor hiring decisions are serious. This in turn has led to a more cautious recruiting strategy and a desire to mitigate as much risk as possible. It’s a difficult task, but those that implement a plan and have a process aligned to a timeline will be successful.
Great candidates are available and they can often be found in circles of other great candidates. If courted, wooed and seduced they will leave your interview feeling respected, important and grateful for the experience. Additionally they WILL tell others, so frame your organisation in the best light possible."
["post_title"]=>
string(33) "10 Tips to Attract Quality Talent"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(139) "Talented candidates are in great demand and your competitors are wooing and seducing them throughout the interview process.....But are you?"
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(47) "only-the-best-10-tips-to-attract-quality-talent"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(77) "
http://www.coxpurtell.com.au/blog/secret-successful-recruitment-partnership/"
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2017-08-23 08:40:29"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2017-08-22 22:40:29"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(36) "http://www.coxpurtell.com.au/?p=8892"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "1"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}

Talented candidates are in great demand and your competitors are wooing and seducing them right throughout the interview process…..But are you?

Over the years, as a Professional Recruiter I have had the good fortune of working with some of the best organisations to implement clear and structured recruitment strategies, these strategies have helped them attract, on-board and retain some of the best talent the marketplace has to offer.

Unfortunately during that same time period I have also observed some of the worst recruitment strategies which have had the opposite effect, often damaging an employer brand and leaving great candidates feeling frustrated and annoyed.

If you are working with a Recruitment Partner, Internal or External here are my top ten tips for attracting and securing the best available talent:

1. Be Clear

You need a clear and have a well thought out recruitment plan. Agree on who the main stakeholders are and who the position owner is.

The decision to hire should come down to the position owner, recruiting by committee is ‘hit and miss’ because different people prioritise different things, this can drag out the process exponentially.

2. Sell the Opportunity

Discuss and agree on how you will sell the benefits of this position and how you will describe the challenges it faces.

Having disgruntled employers trying to sell the benefits of a position is a flawed exercise; equally not being open about the challenges a new position faces will lead to problems down the line.

3. Look Internally FIRST

Ensure the position is signed off, develop a clear position description with a list of essential and non-essential skills and then search internally.

11th hour internal candidates who only meet 60% of the requirement but are a known entity (and are free) may seem attractive but the damage caused by tyre kicking through a recruitment process can be avoided by looking internally first.

4. Commit to a Process

Once you have developed a recruitment plan have your internal team commit to it! Working backwards from the time you need your new employee on board.

Ensure all of the key stakeholders will be available for interviews and pencil time-slots into their diaries if necessary. HR need to be involved right through the process and will need notice to prepare offer letters and contracts.

You will need to allocate time to brief your internal/external recruitment partners, review CV’s and interview candidates who match the position description.

5. Agree Terms

If using a recruiter, brief them in person on the role and give them an opportunity to see your environment, location and ‘style’ so they can sell that for you.

Additionally, agree fees and salary budgets upfront. This is quite possibly the biggest single disrupter and cause of lost opportunity in the whole process.

6. Prepare

Be prepared, turn up to an interview with a structure in place and a set list of questions which address the key skills required, the behaviours you wish to see displayed and the alignment of values and ethics that you want within your team.

Candidates can tell when you have not taken the time to review their resumes, more importantly candidates feel particularly frustrated when put on the spot about a technology or skill that they clearly do not possess and which was not mentioned in the position description.

7. Avoid Direct Salary Discussions

I would advise against discussing salaries directly with candidates during an interview. This information should have been provided to you by your recruitment partner.

Generally candidates not skilled negotiators, when asked by their potential future manager what salary they are seeking there is a tendency to disclose a lower amount than they actually want for fear of pricing themselves out. Unfortunately, upon leaving the interview many candidates go back to the actual figure they originally wanted and the whole process can derail.

8. Don’t Low Ball Offer!

If your recruitment partners are at all competent, they should be able to detail your preferred candidate’s current remuneration breakdown and their salary expectations. These should be in line with your agreed budget for this position.

If you believe through the interview process that a candidate has expectations which are too high, inform your recruitment partners immediately so they can manage expectations on your behalf.

9. Beat your Competitors

Once a hiring decision is made, provide feedback, request reference checks, psych tests and any other information required ASAP. Ask HR to follow up with an offer letter immediately.

Delays with verbal offers and offer letters at such a crucial time send a very subtle but clear message to your chosen recruit which is “we are not sure we want you, we are considering other options, you might want to continue your job search”. Not only will the candidate take your implied advice but they will take the very next offer that comes along and you could find yourself right back at square one.

10. Plan for On-Boarding

Just before you celebrate and pop the cork on that vintage bottle of bubbles, there is one more box to tick for those using an external recruitment partner. This box is particularly important and provides a clear indication of their commitment to your success and to that of the person they have placed with you.

POST PLACEMENT COMMITMENT! I’m not talking about a quick 5 minute phone call on day one or a coffee at the end of the first four weeks, I am describing a programme built specifically to help with the on-boarding of your new staff member and which lasts well into their probation period and beyond. Recruitment does not end when you hire a new employee and your recruitment partner should in-part be held accountable for assisting with the transition from candidate to employee.

I believe that the role of the hiring manager post GFC has intensified; there is a sharper focus on budgeting and staffing costs and the implications of making poor hiring decisions are serious. This in turn has led to a more cautious recruiting strategy and a desire to mitigate as much risk as possible. It’s a difficult task, but those that implement a plan and have a process aligned to a timeline will be successful.

Great candidates are available and they can often be found in circles of other great candidates. If courted, wooed and seduced they will leave your interview feeling respected, important and grateful for the experience. Additionally they WILL tell others, so frame your organisation in the best light possible.